Google today announced a total overhaul of its Google Pay apps designed for iOS and Android devices, with a new emphasis on keeping track of finances and managing financial relationships with people and businesses.
The updated Google Pay app will display the friends and businesses you interact with most often rather than a simple list of all transactions. Built-in tools allow for splitting expenses and calculating totals with another person, and the Google Pay app can be used to order food, buy gas, and more.
Integrated coupons and promo codes are included, and these can be activated with a tap. For those who have a bank account or cards connected to Google Pay, the app will now provide periodic spending summaries and show trends and insights over time, similar to how Apple Card works in the Wallet app on iOS devices.
Starting in 2021, Google plans to further enhance Google Pay with a new mobile-first banking experience. Google is partnering with 11 financial institutions for "Plex," a bank account integrated in Google Pay.
Plex accounts are offered by banks and credit unions and include checking and savings accounts with no monthly fees or overdraft charges. Plex accounts through Google Pay will be available to customers when the feature launches. Apple has an integrated credit card that works with Apple Pay, the Apple Card, but there is no similar feature for a full bank account.
The folks behind Plex ('http://plex.tv') must love/hate this. Seems like they either have no chance and will basically lose their name in terms of consumer awareness, or else (in the more unlikely scenario) they have a decent basis for a lawsuit that'll pay out a hefty sum.
Or if it's like 90% of Google initiatives, they'll drop support for it early next year and it's a non-issue ;)
I bet thats where the emphasis is. A bank account so Google have full access to all my transactions, along with my e-mail and search history? Sign me up! Do I get a free Fitbit?
Android users, later this year, will have the ability to opt-out of tracking across apps on Android devices, limiting the ability for apps to access their unique advertising ID, Google announced in a support page update (via Bloomberg). The new change, in theory, is similar to Apple's recently launched ATT, or App Tracking Transparency framework; however, it differs in direct...
Thursday April 22, 2021 1:55 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
After several false dawns, Apple Pay looks finally ready to come to Israel early next month, based on local reports.
According to Hebrew-language site Calcalist, barring a last-minute change, Apple is expected to launch its digital payment system in the country in the first week of May.
Several previous reports over the last year have hinted at an imminent Apple Pay launch in Israel, but...
Following its announcement last month, Apple today officially flipped the switch to allow parents to share their Apple Card with their teenagers or friends and the ability for spouses to co-own a single Apple Card account. However, one notable feature that didn't get released today is the ability for two separate Apple Card accounts to be merged into one.
Apple announced the feature last...
For as long as it's existed, Google Photos has offered free unlimited storage for uploading images at a reduced yet good enough quality for most users. From June 1, 2021, however, all photos and videos uploaded to Google accounts will count against users' cloud storage. If you've been relying on Google to back up your media library, it may be time to move that content elsewhere. This article...
Following the completed rollout of App Privacy labels for its App Store apps, Google today updated the Google Maps app for the first time in four months.
Apple in December began requiring all new app submissions and app updates to include App Privacy labels, detailing the data that is collected by the app so consumers know what they're sharing.
Google didn't begin implementing App Privacy ...
Google is adding a new "Save to Photos" button to Gmail that, when pressed, automatically saves emailed picture attachments to Google Photos.
The new feature means Gmail users will no longer have to download photo attachments from messages in order to manually back them up to Google Photos.
The "Save to Photos" option will go alongside the existing "Add to Drive" button that appears when...
Wednesday May 19, 2021 1:00 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Google Photos is getting a new AI-driven feature that can take two similar pictures in your iPhone's camera roll and turn them into a single moving shot, reports The Verge.
Google says the feature achieves this by using machine learning to generate additional frames between the two images, which creates the appearance of movement.
If you've taken several shots in succession, for example,...
Wednesday January 20, 2021 12:46 pm PST by Juli Clover
As of December 8, Apple has been requiring developers submitting new apps and app updates to provide privacy label information that outlines the data that each app collects from users when it is installed.
Many app developers, such as Facebook, have complied and now include the privacy labels alongside their apps, but there's one notable outlier -- Google.
Google has not updated its major ...
Wednesday April 28, 2021 12:24 pm PDT by Steve Moser
Popular cryptocurrency platform Coinbase appears to be working to make its Visa Debit Card, Coinbase Card, compatible with Apple Pay for purchases in stores, in apps, and online.
MacRumors has discovered evidence of upcoming Apple Pay support for Coinbase Card in the Coinbase app code in the form of a recently added image asset called "CardGoogleApplePay."
The company's Coinbase Card for...
Google today introduced its latest wire-free earbuds, the Pixel Buds A-Series, which at $99, are $60 cheaper than the standard AirPods and $100 cheaper than the AirPods with Wireless Charging Case.
The Pixel Buds A-Series are the most affordable Pixel Buds Google has released to date, and they offer the same sound quality as prior versions of the Pixel Buds. Reviews have corroborated...
For the first time, Apple is allowing users to continue using iOS 14, even after the launch of iOS 15. So should you update to iOS 15 or stick with iOS 14?
Updates for Safari, FaceTime, and many other apps, Universal Control to let a single mouse or trackpad control multiple devices, new Shortcuts app, machine-learning Live Text detection and Visual Lookup, and more.
Top Rated Comments
Although if they become currency I might finally be a wealthy man!
A bank account so Google have full access to all my transactions, along with my e-mail and search history?
Sign me up! Do I get a free Fitbit?